Spirit of the Hero Preview
by M. L. Ayala
Summary: Preview of an upcoming story, currently WiP. Inspired by the E3 teaser for Breath of the Wild, and the theories of two Zelda nerds.


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is a preview of an upcoming story, which is currently WiP, so I have no idea when the rest will be published.

The inspiration for this is the E3 teaser trailer for LoZ Breath of the Wild, though we realize that our theories are completely wrong now that we've watched the opening of the game.

The main character for this story will be Zelda, though she doesn't make an appearance here in the prologue.

This preview will be deleted when the official story is uploaded.

 ** _Prologue_**

 _The End of Ages_

 ** _Awakening_**

Link stepped back from the pedestal, tucking the strange slate he had just removed into his belt. The temple-like building atop the mountain had yielded very little to the scavenger, but that wasn't unexpected. While it had looked like it had been undisturbed for some time, it was rare to find a place that was completely untouched by the many generations of scavengers who called this land their home.

The young man looked around the open room, making sure that there was nothing else he could gather to trade. He was so absorbed in this task, that he didn't immediately notice the faint rumbling in the distance until it grew louder and the ground beneath his feet shook slightly. Looking toward the abandoned castle in the distance, Link fell into a slight crouch, ready to run, when a dark cloud laced with bright magenta rose out of the ground. As he watched, figures began to form and spread out across the land in every direction.

The cloud disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving Link staring in shock down at the land that he had called home for his entire life. He pulled the slate from his belt with a shaking hand and eyed it warily. There was no way this could end well.

 ** _Journey's_ _End_**

Months later, Link stood in the abandoned castle, bleeding from wounds acquired over the last several hours spent battling monsters and guardians that blocked his path. His quest to return the land to its former peace weighed heavily on him. It seemed that every time he won a battle, the enemy grew stronger. This made no sense to the scavenger turned warrior, but he had little time to think on it.

The last cloud of energy flowed from the edges of the room, and began solidifying. Link prepared himself for this final foe, the last he would face, leaving the land free of the darkness he had unleashed. He wondered if this one would be like the others, declaring some ancient vendetta against him, citing wrongs that he had committed, yet had no memory of.

There had been Vaati, who raged that Link had destroyed his chances of becoming the greatest sorcerer of all time. Then Zant, who shrieked and screamed like a child over the loss of his throne. An imp wearing a spiked mask with hypnotic eyes, who cursed the young man for interfering in his fun. There were others, almost too many to count at times, and they all hated him. Yet they all fell in the end, defeated by a sword so chipped and rusted that Link wondered how it stayed in one piece. The Master Sword, some had called it, hissing as though it burned them just to look at it. The sword had once held power, that much Link was certain of, but the power was greatly diminished. He could feel it fading each day that he wielded it.

The energy cloud was gone, having completed its transformation into the man now standing before Link. He was well over a head taller than the young man, heavily built with a thick mane of red-orange hair and dark copper skin. He looked around the room, slowly taking everything in before his eyes settled on Link.

"Well, little hero," his deep voice filled the room and sent a chill down Link's spine, "here we are once more. But what's this? You seem to be alone. Has your princess abandoned you?" Link frowned in confusion. He knew of no princess, no ruler of any kind in this land, other than the occasional town or caravan leader.

The man chuckled, a menacing sound that echoed off the surrounding stones. "It matters not. You will both die by my hand, be it together or apart." A large sword appeared in his hand, and he swung it at Link with no hesitation.

Link jumped back, barely making it out of the way. His eyes widened in alarm when he realized that the force of the blow had cracked the stone floor. The man lifted the blade again and grinned.

"You don't remember me hero? What a shame. We have battled many times through the ages. I am Ganondorf, the Demon King," catching sight of the nearly ruined sword, his grinned changed into something sharp and wicked, "and I think this may be the last time we face each other." A sweeping overhanded blow followed his statement, causing Link to roll to the side in order to avoid his skull being split in two. Link lifted the Master Sword and raised his shield while looking for a good place to strike.

Ganondorf moved more quickly than one would expect for a man of his size, and Link was too worn down to form much of a plan. They traded a few blows, Ganondorf blocking every one of Link's. The Master Sword grew heavier in the hero's hand. He could feel the blade straining under the force of Ganondorf's attacks, and soon he noticed the chips in the blade increasing.

With one final burst of energy, Link managed to drive the sword past Ganondorf's defenses and into his chest. As the sword slid between the taller man's ribs, Link felt it snap. His momentum caused him to stumble forward and fall in an exhausted heap.

Ganondorf staggered a few steps, the broken end of the blade just barely sticking out of his chest. He fell back, splayed across the shattered floor, a gruesome smile on his face. "Heh… you think you've won… but this… is only the beginning… heh he-" Ganondorf's laugh changed to choking, then he finally lay still.

Link dragged himself to his feet. Casting a final glance back at Ganondorf's body, he let himself relax for the first time in months. A few shuffling steps brought Link to the ruined throne, where he slid down onto the seat. He knew he shouldn't stay here, but he was so exhausted it wasn't long before he had fallen into a troubled sleep.

He was awoken by a crashing rumble that rolled across the land. Looking around wildly, Link's attention was drawn to Ganondorf's body, where a heavy black cloud was violently lashing around and obscuring the view of the Demon King. As both the rumbling and the cloud began to fade away, a figure stood slowly. Standing nearly twice as tall as Link with flaming hair and scaled limbs and torso, the newcomer vaguely resembled Ganondorf.

His glowing red eyes locked with Link's bright blue ones, then slid to the broken Master Sword. Laughter echoed through every corner of the crumbling room. Link flinched back and clutched the hilt of the Master Sword more tightly.

"That will do you no good, hero. Not now that I am free of the cursed seal placed upon me aeons ago by your ancestor. Tell me, how did it feel, to think that you had won? That your journey was complete and you would be able to return to a life of peace?" A heavy, jagged sword materialized as he spoke. "I can see how tired you are. Perhaps you would like a rest? I would be more than glad to provide you with one, the same way that you provided one for me."

Link tried to scramble off of the throne, but was unable to move. The battle with Ganondorf had left him with even more injuries and his right leg was nearly useless at this point.

"After all this time, do you fear your demise? For that is what I am: Demise. The death of you and this land." A few quick strides and Demise stood above Link, the tip of his sword at the young man's throat. "Every living creature in this wretched world will feel my wrath, starting and ending with you!" Demise's final words were punctuated by his sword slamming through Link's chest.

The hero's head fell back, mouth open in a wordless scream. The searing pain only grew as his body dissolved and his spirit was absorbed into Demise's sword.


End file.
